


The Beast Within

by vestigialwords



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-12
Updated: 2012-07-12
Packaged: 2017-11-09 19:41:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/457653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vestigialwords/pseuds/vestigialwords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The beast inside him rattles at the cage bars—<i>Almost time to play, Remus! Time to hunt!</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	The Beast Within

**Author's Note:**

> This work does contain a bit of violent imagery. Rated T just to be safe.

Sometimes, for Remus, the corridors of the Hogwarts castle start to look just like the forest next to it. The wildlife in the paintings begins to seep out of the frames. The candlelight seems to retreat from him in fear, and students give him a wider berth than usual—just by a few millimeters, but he notices. He can smell each and every person within fifty meters of him as if they were standing next to him. He could probably even make a fair guess at what they had for breakfast that morning. 

Sirius claps him on the shoulder— _bacon and eggs_ —and asks him where the hell he is.

He sits in Slughorn's class, and like everyone else around him, attempts to brew some Amortentia. Evidently, he's being successful, because the longer he sits next to his cauldron, the harder it is to ignore the scents wafting from the basin.

The forest after a rainstorm. A familiar, vaguely canine scent that he tries his hardest not to identify. Meat. The stench of blood from a fresh kill on his snout.

But that doesn’t answer Sirius' question. 

The beast inside him rattles at the cage bars— _Almost time to play, Remus! Time to hunt!_ –it whispers from deep within, flashing scattered images of an ambush before his opened and conscious eyes. Frightened prey running helter skelter away from him. He's not even sure what exactly he’s chasing—it could be a rabbit, it could be a dog, it could be one of his fellow students. But he doesn't stop—doesn't stop hunting. Doesn't stop when he catches up and rips it to shreds. Doesn't stop until there's nothing left but bones. 

Remus startles back to potions class when Sirius smacks him across the face. 

"Remus, are you in there?"

"Yeah—yeah, I'm here," _but I’m not alone_.


End file.
